Haines, Alaska author, columnist and writer

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Monday Monday

Submitted by Heather on Mon, 11/27/2017 - 14:38

It is Monday and it feels like Monday.

Up at five, still cold and lots of snow, the fire was out, the puppy peed on the rug, my drip cup of coffee imploded when the filter broke and hot wet grounds spilled all over the counter, and then after braving the roads and dodging the plows, the pool was closed because a pipe burst.

I am so grumpy. I figured I'd spread the gloom.

Typing this made me laugh.

Thank you.

Honestly, I have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving was really nice in a crazy family way, with six children under eight, including a newborn, and way too much food. The young mothers were all abuzz about the next baby boom, they say there are seven local women expecting babies in the new year, or was it eight? My son is safe (so far) from the volcano in Bali as he's surfing two islands away, and my daughter survived 100 mph winds in her first major winter storm in the Aleutians by baking cookies and watching Christmas movies.

I even shopped on Black Friday on Main Street for books and socks and made a donation to a local good cause. The women's choir sang at the Lighting of the Library, which was so crowded you could hardly move. The brass players from the school were my favorite new addition, but the ukulele ladies were pretty great too, and the tree! It's a thick soft pine from the Downer's yard and is beautiful. So are the quilts warming up the walls.

We spent the rest of the weekend snowshoeing, and stacking wood, and reading meeting packets and cutting up deer and wrapping it for the freezer which always is so satisfying in that Little House on the Prairie way.

Tonight the assembly meets from 6-8 to talk about heli-ski map guidelines, tomorrow at 6:30 is the regular assembly meeting, and Wednesday the assembly meets again to give a snow machine tour permit. There's so much happening before Christmas I can't keep track of it all.

I hope the pool is back up by Weds., and Thursday the Bear Foundation shows a film about a pioneering bear biologist at 6:30 at the library, and gingerbread houses are due at the Arts Confluence office for the annual contest-- you still have time! (My favorite last year, or was it the year before? was the log cabin made from pretzels stacked like Lincoln Logs.)And Friday is First Friday, Dec. 1! Saturday is the Community Ed Bazaar and the Lighting of the Fort at 5:00 with a sledding party, caroling and a live Nativity tableau, the annual Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center dinner and auction is at 6:30 in Klukwan, and there is fundraiser at 5:00 in the school for the Haddocks, to help with their on-going medical expenses. Friday and Saturday The Lion in Winter is performing at the Chilkat Center, at 7:00.

I bet there will be ski trails set too, and hockey continues at the fairgrounds. A youth league is starting up, call 314-0907 for more info.